A stunning aspect of the Cavaliers' steep fall is how their merchandise has vanished in public.

The reason for No. 23 jerseys disappearing is a given. Where did the rest of it go? It's as if all those otherwise perfectly good shirts became tainted and no one wants to touch them. Or take the new colors for this year. How often do you see someone in a new Cavs sweatshirt?

With a team playing as poorly as the Cavs are this year, there isn't much reason to pick up the new gear. But not that long ago, Cavs merchandise couldn't have been hotter. They've fallen that hard that fast.

The die-hard fans must know what losing presidential candidates feel like. They've gone from being this close to being on top of the NBA world to afterthought. Instead of one day, it happened over the summer and into winter. But it feels just as bad. The only city that could be feeling worse is Seattle, after the Super Sonics were Mayflowered to Oklahoma City.

In the NBA, the A-list teams - no matter how they're assembled - are promoted and squeezed for every dime and TV ratings point the league can get out of them. The other franchises are just filler to provide opposition. It's still stunning how quickly the Cavs have switched sides of the scoreboard.

- Howard Primer